Appellate Practice Attorney serving New York, NY
There is a possibility that the no-refund provision of the conract would be considered an unenforceable penalty by a court, but it is not by any means a slam dunk. Also, although you may have a short period of time to cancel, it doesn't sound as if you do so. In general, unless a conrtact expressly provides for it, you don't have a right to cancel a contract; that would be a breach and, even if the venue couldnt' keep all of your deposit, you would be responsible for any damages it suffered because of the breach, for example if it could only book a smaller event for that date.
Answered on Apr 09th, 2021 at 11:25 AM